Sniffing people’s sweat can help treat social anxiety- study
By Story Agencies, March 28, 2023Using mindfulness as an anxiety therapy could be more effective if participants sniff sweat at the same time, a new study suggests.
Sniffing other people’s body odour may be able to help treat social anxiety, according to new research.
Armpit sweat was taken from volunteers who watched either happy or scary film clips – including Mr Bean’s Holiday, Sister Act and The Grudge.
The samples were then used alongside more traditional mindfulness therapy to treat social anxiety.
The study revealed mindfulness was more effective when combined with sniffing the body odour.
The study involved 48 women who suffered from social anxiety, some of whom were exposed to clean air and others to body odour.
Patients who completed a mindfulness session while exposed to body odours saw a 39 per cent reduction in social anxiety, while without body odour there was a 17 per cent reduction in anxiety scores.
The researchers believe there is something about human sweat that affects the response to treatment – however, said more work is needed to confirm the link.
However, the effect was the same whether the sweat-giver had been watching a comedy or horror.
Lead researcher Elisa Vigna from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said the team was “a little surprised” by this.